The first tip-off: Most of his segments were conducted from stools, as he was too weak to stand for the entire program. Second, though a handsome guy (and not sickly looking by any means), the ‘crest was definitely lacking in energy. And third, though you didn’t see this on television, an assistant held an ice pack to Seacrest’s neck while stage manager Debbie and even Randy Jackson helped keep his temperature down by fanning him with their notebooks.

As the show went on, Seacrest seemed to perk up. Several contestants told Zap2it after the stage that they could barely tell their fearless host was under the weather. Says Hollie Cavanagh, “I knew, but I didn’t notice,” she says. “That man does so much that it’s ridiculous. He is a strong man, I’ll tell you that.”Skylar Laine says her Queen tune, “The Show Must Go On,” could definitely be dedicated to Seacrest. “Ryan is a trooper, I’m serious. He was sick and he just gets on that stage and he does what he does best and he makes the show great.”

“He’s so professional,” adds Joshua Ledet.

Even though Seacrest was germy, he didn’t shy away from shaking hands and hugging contestants on the air — but Laine says she wasn’t worried about catching anything. “No, I wasn’t afraid to touch Ryan. If I’m supposed to get sick, I guess I’m supposed to get sick. It doesn’t really matter.”